Quotes by Michael Franti

About Michael Franti:

Michael Franti is an American rapper, musician, poet, and singer-songwriter. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock. He is also an outspoken supporter for a wide spectrum of peace and social justice issues.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I think that fear comes about when there's things in the world that we want to change, things we're scared or angry about, and we can't change them, and so we become fearful; we develop anxiety.

Michael Franti

All my songs are different, but from the overall experience, I want people to sense that they can overcome and move through difficult times and find strength in my music. Maybe it's a song that makes them cry and move through something else.

Michael Franti

I always identified with that feeling of being an underdog. So I always was looking to connect with and meet people from other cultures, to experience people living a different life that I am.

Michael Franti

I eat bags and bags of cashews. I've got them in the kitchen, and about ten feet away I've got another bowl on the kitchen table. In my backpack, I've always got a bag of cashews. I started eating them in the airports because that's the one food that...

Michael Franti

I try to use the attention that I get to help and to serve, and that's really what I'd see as my work - to serve my community, serve the planet, serve my family. And I think a celebrity is someone who draws the attention on themselves, and then it ki...

Michael Franti

All the freaky people make the beauty of the world.

Michael Franti

Everybody's opinion is equally valid, and I feel like everybody should have an opportunity to speak out, and everyone should have the courage to speak out.

Michael Franti

To sit back and say, 'Oh, we're going to let the government do whatever they want, right or wrong,' is giving up.

Michael Franti

Through music I either tame my demons or unleash them and allow them to be what they are. I don't want the music to be about provocation, I want the music to bring you to a place where you feel at home.

Michael Franti

I hope I inspire people to dream bigger than what they are living, but a dream within their reach.

Michael Franti

I've always found that the poorer the places that I go, the more smiles I see, and the more happiness I see.

Michael Franti

History shows that Americans believe in doing the right thing.

Michael Franti

I drive a hybrid. It's a Ford Escape. That's my only car.

Michael Franti

Jamaica's a country of great dichotomy. On the one hand you have a tourist industry with great beaches and resorts, but on the other you have such great poverty and the violence that goes along with that.

Michael Franti

'Star Wars' is mythology. It's like Greek mythology or Shakespeare. It's the story of good versus evil over a very long span of time. The storytelling is universal and timeless.

Michael Franti

Collectively, we activists are essential to advancing U.S. policy to help empower marginalized people to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty for good.

Michael Franti

The way the music comes to you starts to affect how you listen to music. When you're a kid, it's 'Does it rock? Does it make me feel good? Does it make me tap my feet? Does it make me go to sleep?'

Michael Franti

People worry that gas prices are high and how they are affecting their pocket book. But they want to know about renewable energy. People are really starting to question things, and that's made people look to the future in a positive way.

Michael Franti

I went to the University of San Francisco on an athletic scholarship. I didn't study in high school. I was just there to get by and to play basketball. But a funny thing happened to me when I got to college. I got challenged by the work and the profe...

Michael Franti

No life's worth more than any other, no sister worth less than any brother.

Michael Franti

I took a trip in 2004, a year after the war started in Iraq. I played music on the streets of Baghdad for Iraqi civilians. I'd also play for U.S. soldiers at night when they were off duty in the bars. Then I would talk to people, and I would film the...

Michael Franti

Author Bio

  • NameMichael Franti
  • DescriptionAmerican rapper
  • BornApril 21, 1966
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionSinger